South Africa Defense

Israel has secretly joined a partnership to produce a nuclear-tipped missile for South Africa, NBC News reported. The partnership reportedly has enabled Israel to gain access to a long-range missile site near Overberg, South Africa, and to acquire uranium for nuclear warheads. In exchange, Israel reportedly has shared missile technology with South Africa that will enable it to become a nuclear power.

A former defense minister was charged with murder in a landmark indictment that alleges collusion between President Nelson Mandela's chief black rival and apartheid-era security forces. Gen. Magnus Malan and 19 others, including some of his top generals, were charged in 13 murders committed in 1987 by members of a Zulu paramilitary unit trained by the white-led armed forces.

South Africa, shut off from the international arms market for 11 years, is giving top priority to building its own jet fighter, Pretoria's air force chief said. Gen. Jan Van Loggerenberg predicted that South Africa could build a jet fighter in eight to 10 years but did not say whether work on the project had begun. Van Loggerenberg spoke at a news conference in Pretoria that was closed to foreign journalists, but excerpts were carried on state-run television.

South Africa has had an active nuclear weapons program since at least the mid-1970s, despite years of official denials from Pretoria, according to recently declassified CIA documents. South Africa almost certainly conducted an atmospheric test of a low-yield nuclear bomb off its coast in 1979, the documents state. Pretoria has never acknowledged possession of nuclear weapons and the U.S. government has never publicly stated that it believes South Africa is capable of producing them.

A U.S. official confirmed reports that South Africa has test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that was built with help from Israel. Israel and South Africa are also cooperating in the development of a long-range missile that could be used to launch reconnaissance satellites, the official, who declined to be identified, said. However, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and South African Foreign Minister Roelof F. (Pik) Botha denied the report.

South Africa has had an active nuclear weapons program since at least the mid-1970s, despite years of official denials from Pretoria, according to recently declassified CIA documents. South Africa almost certainly conducted an atmospheric test of a low-yield nuclear bomb off its coast in 1979, the documents state. Pretoria has never acknowledged possession of nuclear weapons and the U.S. government has never publicly stated that it believes South Africa is capable of producing them.

South Africa announced major defense cuts, reflecting an easing of tensions in southern Africa, especially over Namibia and Angola. The cuts included cancellation of 11 army weapons and equipment projects, disbandment of units and phasing out of aircraft. The defense budget is about $4 billion a year. Officials did not give the size of the reduction, but a newspaper recently said $577 million would be cut from the next budget.

A former defense minister was charged with murder in a landmark indictment that alleges collusion between President Nelson Mandela's chief black rival and apartheid-era security forces. Gen. Magnus Malan and 19 others, including some of his top generals, were charged in 13 murders committed in 1987 by members of a Zulu paramilitary unit trained by the white-led armed forces.

Joe Modise, 72, who led the armed struggle to topple apartheid and went on to become South Africa's defense minister in 1994, died Monday of cancer in Pretoria. As defense minister, Modise oversaw the process of uniting the security forces that defended apartheid and those who sought to overthrow it--a task achieved with mixed success. When Nelson Mandela handed over the presidency to Thabo Mbeki after five years in office, Modise quit politics to go into business.

Prime Minister Bettino Craxi on Wednesday denied accusations of an Italian connection to secret American shipments of arms to Iran, and he ordered a detailed investigation of the charges. Three left-wing parties, including the Communists and Radicals, charged that arms destined for Iran were loaded aboard Danish ships at the Italian port of Talamone as part of a secret U.S. arms deal with Iran aimed in part at securing the release of American hostages in Lebanon.

South Africa announced major defense cuts, reflecting an easing of tensions in southern Africa, especially over Namibia and Angola. The cuts included cancellation of 11 army weapons and equipment projects, disbandment of units and phasing out of aircraft. The defense budget is about $4 billion a year. Officials did not give the size of the reduction, but a newspaper recently said $577 million would be cut from the next budget.

South African President Frederik W. de Klerk announced a major defense reduction, cutting mandatory military service in half and promising to close some military units and facilities. The announcement in Johannesburg came two weeks after South Africa completed the withdrawal of its troops from Namibia, where they had fought a bush war against pro-independence guerrillas since 1966. Ten days ago, in a reversal to longstanding policies of his predecessor, Pieter W.

A U.S. official confirmed reports that South Africa has test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that was built with help from Israel. Israel and South Africa are also cooperating in the development of a long-range missile that could be used to launch reconnaissance satellites, the official, who declined to be identified, said. However, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and South African Foreign Minister Roelof F. (Pik) Botha denied the report.

South Africa, suspected of attempting to make an illicit arms deal with Northern Ireland extremists, denied that it dealt with terrorists but defended the right of its weapons industry to shop around for technology. Foreign Minister Roelof F. (Pik) Botha said Pretoria has launched an inquiry into the actions of one of its Paris diplomats, reportedly caught last Friday with three members of the Protestant Ulster Defense Assn. and an American arms dealer trying to trade South African arms for a demonstrator model of a British Blowpipe surface-to-air missile.